Li Boguang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Li Boguang
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| 李柏光 | |
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Li Boguang in May 2006
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| Born | October 1, 1968 Jiahe County, Hunan
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| Died | February 26, 2018 (aged 49) |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Alma mater | Peking University |
| Occupation | Lawyer, human rights activist, writer, translator, publisher |
| Years active | 1997 — 2018 |
| Known for | Tangshan protest |
| Awards | National Endowment for Democracy – Democracy Award 2008 |
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| Chinese | 李柏光 | ||||||||||
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Li Boguang (Chinese: 李柏光; pinyin: Lǐ Bóguāng; born October 1, 1968 – died February 26, 2018) was a Chinese legal expert and a person who worked to protect human rights. He was the director of the Qimin Research Institute in Beijing. In this role, Li helped farmers get fair payments for their land when it was taken by the government.
In 2004, he was arrested because he helped with the Tangshan protest. This event brought international attention to his work from groups that support human rights. Li was attacked in 2016. He passed away in February 2018. The Chinese government said he died from liver disease. However, many people and news groups found his death "suspicious." This was because of concerns about how the Chinese government treats people who speak up for human rights.
Contents
About Li Boguang
Li was born in a small mountain village in Jiahe County, which is in Hunan province. He came from a poor family and was the youngest of seven children. His father died when Li was only seven years old.
Li's Work
Studying and Teaching
Li studied Philosophy, Politics, and Law at university. He earned his Masters and Doctoral degrees from Peking University. In 1997, he became a Law Professor at Hainan University. However, he lost this job after he was arrested the next year.
Helping Farmers in Tangshan
Li became known around the world in 2004. This was because he worked hard to support the rights of farmers during the Tangshan protest. He, along with others, gave advice to farmers in Hebei province. These farmers had to move because a new reservoir was being built.
The farmers said they did not receive the money they were promised. They believed local officials were involved in corruption and took their payments. More than 11,000 farmers signed a petition asking for a local leader to be removed. Li helped these farmers organize their protest. This brought him international attention, but it also led to his arrest. He was later released.
Other Farmer Protests
In the same year, Li wrote an article about how corruption affected farmers' lives. The article was called "Can Citizens Dismiss a Mayor." Li also advised farmers in Fu’an, a city in Fujian province. These farmers also wanted to send a petition to the central government about a land disagreement.
During these protests, police put a lot of pressure on villagers. They wanted the villagers to speak out against Li Boguang and his fellow activists. In December 2004, Li was arrested by police in Fu’an. He was accused of cheating farmers. Police also searched his home in Beijing and took his computers and documents.
In March 2005, news agencies reported that Li had been released. The condition was that he had to stay in Beijing. He was also not allowed to contact farmers or others who wanted to complain to the government about local officials.
Religious Activities
Some people said Li was connected to the Fangzhou Congregation. This was a Chinese house church in Beijing. Other important members of this church included Gao Zhisheng. Li also defended many Christians who had been arrested by the government. He worked to protect them from what he saw as unfair treatment.
Book Publishing
In 1998, while checking books, Li read works by the writer Samuel Smiles. He was very moved by the author's ideas. So, he decided to translate and publish Smiles' books in China. He also translated books by other writers, like Robert A. Dahl and Niccolò Machiavelli. He published these books through Chinese publishing companies.
Visit to the United States
Li was invited to visit the United States in May 2005. He was invited by a group called "China Aid" and another group focused on Chinese law and religion. He joined the China Freedom Summit. During this trip, Li and other members of the summit met with the President of the United States, George W. Bush, at the White House on May 11.
His Baptism
After reading Samuel Smiles' books, Li started reading the Bible in 1999. He began visiting a church in Beijing in 2005. He was baptized there on July 30, 2005.
Li's Death
The Chinese government announced Li Boguang's death on February 26, 2018. They stated that he died from liver disease. However, Li had been in good health before this.
Questions About His Death
Many activists and news groups found his death "suspicious." They questioned the government's explanation. Bob Fu, who leads "China Aid," asked the Chinese government to explain Li's death clearly. Another group, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, also found his death "suspicious." They said the official story was not true because Li was very healthy before he died.
Li's death brought attention back to China's human rights record. It also raised concerns about the safety of people who disagree with the authorities. Li had been attacked in 2016 by men who were thought to be connected to the Communist Party of China. There were also reports of other threats against him.
Some international observers noted that Li's death was similar to that of Nobel winner Liu Xiaobo in 2017.
See also
- List of Chinese dissidents
